Lewis Hamilton’s confirmation of his move to Ferrari in early 2024 was some of the biggest news Formula 1 had seen in a long time. For the seven-time world champion, the transition from Mercedes to the Scuderia presents several challenges. But while the Briton seems to have taken the pre-season in his stride, Sebastian Vettel has now outlined the challenges he expects his past rival to encounter.
Vettel drove with Ferrari for six seasons and became well-integrated into the Italian team as he fought for podiums, finishing second in the drivers’ standings on two occasions. While he was never able to win a fifth world championship, his connection to the team was strong thanks to his adoration of Michael Schumacher. It’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about how the team works.
After spending 12 years with Mercedes and even longer with Mercedes powertrains, Hamilton will likely find it difficult to adapt to not only different team processes, but also to a completely different culture.
“It’s big. Anybody who changes team, it’s a big move. New people you work with is probably the biggest one,” Vettel said on Hamilton’s move, via Wide World of Sports. “It’s a different culture. Obviously most of the teams are English, only two are Italian. That’s probably the biggest shift.”
Continuing, the German driver confirms that racing with Ferrari is “special for anyone,” regardless of whether Hamilton considered Schumacher to be as strong a role model as Vettel does.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Ferrari
“I grew up watching Michael. He was my hero and he was most of the time in red, so to me it felt different because of that,” he explained.
“I’m not sure Lewis had the same dream, but I think it’s special for anyone who gets the chance to step into the red car.”
Highlighting another challenge for Hamilton is former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone, who believes the team won’t stop prioritising Charles Leclerc, a driver they’ve built the team around for years now.
“He’s been there all the way through so they are hardly going to dump him for Lewis. I’m not saying Lewis isn’t possible, just that they will not stop looking after and hoping Leclerc’s going to get the job done.”
